Tutorial: Navy Insignia Nail Art

Hi Everyone! Yesterday I showed you my Remembrance Day Navy Insignia inspired nail art. If you missed it, you can see the full post with swatches of each polishes I used here. Today, I bring you a simple tutorial that you can follow to create your very own design! Here, my inspiration is the Commonwealth Navy Insignias. Pinky: Lieutenant; Ring: Commander, Index: Captain. Of course, you can adapt this tutorial with other colors to fit different armed forces.

Using precut striping tape, tape off the tip of the nail. You can design how many lines of gold you would like. Remember, the taped off area will reveal the red underneath.

Paint Metallic Mush, take care not to cover the top most edge of the striping tape nearest to the half moon.

Immediately peel off the striping tape. TIP: use tweezers to help with precise handling and avoid finger smudges.

Paint the top portion with Bombshell, taking care to meet the gold line you just created. TIP: I find that my hand inadvertently shakes a little, so to achieve a clean line, it’s best to roll my finger from left to right as I apply the polish with even pressure.

With a large dotting tool, dot Metallic Mush in the middle of the nail. Let dry. TIP: If you don’t have a dotting tool, you can use the end of a pen instead. Don’t worry, as long as you wipe it off on a cotton pad immediately after each dot, the pen will not be covered with the polish.

With a smaller dotting tool (or the end of a smaller pen), dot Bombshell in the middle of the Metallic Mush dot you made in the previous step.

If you want, add a gold glitter in the center of your half moon. It should adhere fine since Bombshell might still be a bit tacky. If not, simply dab a little clear polish then place the glitter. Add your favorite topcoat and you’re done!

For the anchor design, I used a nail art brush and the same polishes. There’s no real trick here. I found it helped me to practice drawing it on paper first.

I hope this tutorial is helpful for you! If you recreate it, I would love to see your work ♥ You can contact me directly on my blog here or through my social media links in the side bar. If you use Instagram, then hashtag #lacquertude.